The Life of Nina Hammann Berry
Born: June 8, 1909, Conway, Kansas
Died: November 14, 1992, Boulder, Colorado
Nina Hammann Berry was born in Conway, Kansas on June 8, 1909, the fourth of seven children of Lewis and Ella Hammann. The family moved to McPherson, Kansas when she was three.
(That’s Nina in the glasses)
Nina Hammann – High School Graduation – 1927
She attended McPherson College for two years, then taught in a one-room country schoolhouse in Scandia, Kansas for two years before going on to get her degree at the University of Kansas in 1933. Over the next ten years, she taught in schools in central and western Kansas, including Centralia and Garden City.
The Hammann Kids – 1942 – 1100 Grimes St., McPherson, Kansas
(Glen, Nina, Audrey, Zella, Verna, Laura, and Myreta)
In 1943, she moved to Detroit, Michigan to work in the Signal Corps during the war. It was here that she met her husband, Jack Berry, a photographer with Packard Motor Company, on a blind date. They were married on May 29, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and honeymooned in Atlantic City.
Wedding Picture – 1945
Jack and Nina on their Honeymoon – Atlantic City 1945
Dennis’s First Birthday
Their son Dennis was born on March 4, 1946. (They were hoping for a girl!) After the war, she taught elementary grades in the Detroit Public Schools, both as a substitute and then as a permanent teacher at Lingemann Elementary School.
Nina’s First Class at Lingemann School – Detroit
Her husband Jack died on December, 15, 1961. Nina retired from teaching in June, 1973, after over 34 years in the classroom. In 1986, she moved to Boulder, Colorado to be with Dennis, his wife Libby, and their son Michael.
Nina and Michael in Boulder
Nina loved to travel. She journeyed across the United States, to Europe, to Scandinavia, to South America, to the Holy Land, and around the world. She enjoyed new things and meeting new people. In Detroit, she ushered at the Fisher Theatre to have the opportunity to see the plays that came to town. She belonged to a group called Women Who Travel, and was active in the American Association of University Women. In Boulder, she took advantage of every opportunity to visit new places and learn interesting things. She was interested in national and local affairs, and avidly read the newspaper. She could see both sides of almost any issue, so rarely took a strong position on anything. She loved to garden and to laugh, and saw the beauty in the world around her. She was never one to get bored.
She was raised in the Methodist Church and was always active in church affairs. She taught Sunday School, belonged to church circles and the Women’s Society for Christian Service, and volunteered in many capacities. After retirement, she volunteered for World Medical Relief, and organization sending medicines to foreign countries.
Sunday School Graduation – St. Marks Methodist Church – Detroit
Nina withstood many physical traumas through the years, beginning when she was quite young, but despite these conditions she strived to make others happier in her daily life. She always said that she made it a point to forget the bad things that happened to her. She had cancer twice, but said that she thought cancer was “overrated.” Nina was a “people person,” and made friends easily. But she particularly cherished her family and close friends, and stayed in touch regularly. She was always happiest in a group, talking with friends, helping those in need, or just being kind to those around her.
Nina died in Boulder, Colorado on November 14, 1992 at the age of 83. While she is gone, she is certainly not forgotten. The love she had for those around her, particularly her family, has shaped all of our lives in ways that can only make us better people. Those who knew her were blessed to have her in their lives.
Friends and Relatives on LifenTimes
Audrey Luella Hammann Bedell – Sister
Laura Inez Hammann – Sister
Lewis and Ella Hammann – Parents
Myreta Hammann Stephan – Sister
Zella Hammann Kubin – Sister